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i doubt barney gets moved.
high asking price.
im not against moving him.
if we can sell him as a SS that would be nice return for us. esspecially in a package.
tampa? with sori + barney? start with zorbist + arms

If Raburn hadn't been so unbelievably bad last year, I could buy him as sort of a left handed Baker. But as is, I would have to think long and hard before offering him a major league contract.

Your opinion of Figgins just baffles me though. He has been below replacement level two years in a row, hitting under .200. Three years ago, he was less terrible, but still not something I would want anywhere near the Cubs' lineup. He's a 35 year old that relied on his speed in his prime, and that, along with all of his other skills, have deteriorated. The chances that he'll somehow turn it around and become a passable major leaguer are non-existent.

You're missing the point. For the league minimum, since he was DFA'd, what's the risk?

I'd be really curious what Detroit thinks of a Barney for Porcello framework to a trade.

I keep thinking something along the lines of:

"So you want us to give up our only groundball pitcher for an infield defender, and you want to acquire a groundball pitcher for your best infield defender? Where is your mind, mind mind?"

That said, probably the most definite of the one for one swaps I would do, if it could be done that way. I'd be much more interested in a Jackson + Something for Porcello, as Detroit has had success with high K OFers with otherwise solid offensive skills and they could use the OF talent. Fits how their team is built as well since Porcello is really the only groundball pitcher in the rotation (though I didn't check Fister because I just met her).

I might be weird, but that still doesn't make Watkins a sell high guy. C
Unless he is involved in a package trade for something good, I think he has far more value to the Cubs as a guy coming off the bench that can play 2B, SS, CF in the majors. If he does well in thatrole than you could trade him for something interesting.

Dont know why you keep saying that detriot would only trade for a good defensive ss if they didnt have to give up a mediocore groundball pitcher in return, as if porcello is the only pitcher who would benefit from improved infield defense.

High gb% or not, if detriot sees barney as having more value to their team than porcello, they do the deal. Just brcause porcello would hypothetically benefit the most individually from barneys presence doesnt mean a whole lot, IMO.

Dont know why you keep saying that detriot would only trade for a good defensive ss if they didnt have to give up a mediocore groundball pitcher in return

1. Never said anything about only.

2. A huge % of why he's mediocre can be explained by their infield defense. Even with that, he's been an above average pitcher by non-ERA or K/9 metrics.

Detroit, not being a dumb team, probably noticed that their infield defense does nothing to help their pitching staff or their youngest rotation member. It's hard to see them giving him up in a deal that then goes and improves their defense.

I think they'll leave Watkins at Iowa all year to get his full year of AB's. Sell high on Barney and bring in Yunel on the cheap from Miami. If they can seriously get Corbin from Zona or Porcello from Detroit for Barney, you pull that trigger, but I'll believe it when I see it.

2. A huge % of why he's mediocre can be explained by their infield defense. Even with that, he's been an above average pitcher by non-ERA or K/9 metrics.

Detroit, not being a dumb team, probably noticed that their infield defense does nothing to help their pitching staff or their youngest rotation member. It's hard to see them giving him up in a deal that then goes and improves their defense.

I think it makes less sense from the Cubs end. Porcello is so attractive precisely because he would likely flourish with the infield grass and good defense.

With Detroit being such an all-or-nothing power based offense, I'd also look to package BJax for him. Their OF defense aside from Austin Jackson has been almost as bad as their IF defense (particularly when they would start Young and/or Boesch out there), and Brett could be a major boon to their flyball pitchers in that spacious park.

Hitting well at Iowa doesn't really raise his ceiling. He's still *maybe* an average defensive 2B with huge platoon splits in the minors...He would be the sell high guy there.

I'll try and make it realllllllllllllly simple for you. What you said here is that Watkins pretty much doing what he's done throughout the minors would make him a sell high guy. By your own definition that wouldn't make him a sell high guy. He's doing what his performance/tools suggest that he'll do. So, maybe, I'm not the one that doesn't understand the whole sell high thing.

As far as why I left off the being unable to repeat that performance again, is because unless somebody pulls a Brady Anderson that will stay at that level for a little while. That would leave Barney off the list of sell high guys. I see him as someone who will play really good defense and have barely league average offense. Prior to starting these last couple of years, he was viewed as a utility guy. If you can get starter value out him in a trade that is a sell high.

For the most part I think we agree that Watkins is a maybe a 2B/SS/CF sub in the majors, he could be a throw in a trade. He has value, just not a sell high value. I also guess we agree that I wouldn't trade Barney, just to do it. If somebody wants to trade something good for him I'd do it. That maybe where we disagree.

I don't see Barney's value ever being higher than it is now. Just can't see the bat making any strides personally. So, he's never going to have 4 years of control again, nor is it likely he'll have another season in the field quite as stellar as this one. So trade him now. If he brings back a Porcello, Corbin, Delgado, etc. If he can't bring that type of SP, just keep him. He enhances the value of our SP as well and certainly could end up being a guy more valuable to us, than we'd ever get in trade.